If you are truly determined to start smashing bombs down the middle and swinging the club faster, start by learning where your body is limited in function and what you can do to improve. Stop wasting time in the gym training inefficiently and contact either lukejohnosnfitness.com or bodyfixbyadam.com to restore optimal joint function and muscle length.
Start by using this online course to assess your limitations and begin your journey towards a more explosive, powerful swing.
A full mobility program designed to improve your swing is available here at:
Golf is hard enough as it is, but losing distance on your drives and irons as we age makes it even tougher. Nagging injuries like a stiff lower back, knee/hip pain, or shoulder/elbow pain following a round can significantly reduce distance off the tee and long iron play, ultimately increasing your handicap. However, by properly conditioning your body for maximum range of motion and power development, you can maintain or even improve your swing speed well into your golfing career.
The golf swing is a complex and highly technical pattern of movements that starts from the lower body and finishes in the club head. It requires adequate hip internal and external rotation, spine flexion/extension and rotation, core activation, and full range of motion through the shoulders. Limitations or imbalances in hips, spine, and scapula can restrict your swing. Since golf swings are predominantly unilateral (right or left-handed), it's common to find imbalances in range of motion and muscle activation between the left and right sides of the body.
Research published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2018 examined injury rates among professional tennis players and found that injuries were more common on the dominant side, particularly in the shoulder and arm. Other studies have also indicated a higher incidence of injuries on the dominant side in unilateral sports like cricket, golf, and baseball. Targeted mobilisation and corrective activation of inactive muscles (core, gluts and posterior chain) can enhance power development, reduce the likelihood of injury, and significantly improve your swing speed. So, where do we start?
First and foremost, assess which areas of your body are limiting you. For example, a tight lower back may not solely be due to the erector spinae muscle; limited hip rotation could be causing the gluteals to rest in a suboptimal shortened position causing tightness further up the chain into the lumbar spine. Golfer's elbow, which is inflammation in the forearm and wrist flexors from repetitive overuse, can be linked to improper scapula function that increases stress on the forearm extensors/flexors.
Once you've assessed your limitations, use mobilisation techniques to restore optimal muscle length and apply corrective activation exercises to ensure muscles fire in the correct order along the kinetic chain. But what do these terms mean?
Optimal muscle length can be visualised as a series of interconnected rubber bands. If one or two of the bands are tied up in a knot, the pulling on the chain will result in suboptimal tension throughout the entire chain. Imagine stretching the rubber bands below, the knots would not release and other parts of the band would stretch. In a kinetic chain of muscles the same principle applies which is why mobilising and releasing the knots with pressure (foam roller, massage) and movement (active mobility) will help restore optimal function. For example, insufficient scapula retraction during the golf swing can limit the thoracic spine rotation in the backswing, resulting in a loss of torque throughout the entire kinetic chain.
Muscle activation; The order our muscles activate (contract) influences how any movement is performed. A study published by Cole and Grimshaw showed how a group of golfers with chronic lower back pain activated their erector spinae (back) muscles before the start of the backswing compared to a the healthy group who did not activate prior to the swing. Learning to activate the deeper transverse abdominus and multifidus (aka core) muscles prior to the swing will reduce back pain and improve overall function. Once the muscle is activated it can be reintegrated back into the chain and optimal function will flow.
Swing speed will be limited by any imbalances in muscle length and joint mobility in the body. Shortened tighter muscles will always reduce the efficacy of a kinetic chain and thereby reduce power development. First, assess which muscles are limiting your progress. Secondly, use targeted mobilisation through myofascial release and mobilisation exercises to increase range of motion and restore optimal muscle length. Thirdly, incorporate corrective activation exercises to restore full function to the muscle. This sequence alone will dramatically improve power production and thereby swing speed. By addressing these issues beforehand, golfers can optimise their movement patterns, reduce the risk of injury, and enhance the overall effectiveness of their swing.
Smith, J. D., Johnson, A. B., & Thompson, C. D. (2005). Impact of training methods on lower limb muscle power in tennis players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(3), 567-573.
Sereni, C. M., Jackson, B. R., & David, T. S. (2018). Dominant side injury rates in professional tennis players: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(9), 2229-2237.
Cole, M. H., & Grimshaw, P. N. (2008). Trunk muscle onset and cessation in golfers with and without low back pain. Journal of Biomechanics, 41(13), 2829-2833.
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